The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-08-07
ANECDOTES OF SULLIVAN.
MIKE DoNoYdN,s INTRODUCTION TO
THE CHAMPIONS POWIcRS

Held or the paragon OF pONteneBS, Will say
that he Ia one Of the best-natured and most
amiable Of men. The papers have published
30 many wild and fantastic stories about him
that people havo an idea that Sullivan is sort
OF unnatural monster that goes around raising
rows from one end Of the country to the other,
is always surly and ugly. and lacks the ele-
ments that make other men popular. have
known Sullivan longer than any OF tho rest Of
them and when speak Of him speak By the
card
Long before he ever fought Flood or before
oven sporting men had heard his name. I knew
him in Boston. He did not look big or strong
then. His nook was not very powerful, his face
was sort OF thin, aud he seemed like an ordl-
nary youngster. He wanted to put on tho
gloves with me one night In theatre whore
was playing an engagement Nobody know
him. but everybody knew me. looked him
over. and. az he seemed to DO worry much in
earnest, and had tho right spirit in him, told
him to como around At O'Clock and would
give him q set-to He came, and he had evt-
IDENTITY made up his mind to do me. He did not
know much about fighting then, but he came
about as near using yours truly up as any man
that ever lived. When he bounced into the ring
there wss blood in his eye. He had tho Same
terrific hitting power then that he has now.
We left our corners and led out on him. Tho
next thing knew got terrific clip on tho
top OF tho head that knocked me backward as
though had boon hit with slungshot, Hay
on tho stage for minute trying to realize what
had hit mo- I was 9roRgy then. and seized
sullivans legs to steady myself and sloFly got
pull myself together. because there was raw
ana sy1rythns T. gain wh ebs, ,s ssa sis
on one a. and md undo 1 that mad + SO much
e EsII s % seaPd With the
at my head. and then they, called time,
Ard W s0Fs t rs ssd rEss fnsI
had got to nght as had mover fought before
to get out with a wholeskin. The next three
yan ha % very lille Fl scenee at that
that is what saved me- But 4 was the ciosest
s sss t eny 81 sSsa sa sim
feinting continually that ]. ESCAPED hts terrific
sedge.hammsr blows and s 60 managed "a .seat to
tien o 0qf vent ssn Outside and told some friends Of
nine that sulIivan was the greatess fighter 9, IN
but they believe It now"
inc sss shs b. b HssR sEnk
When It Comes 70 the wild stories that ate n
s Saass. e One The funniest sishss saw
xSs s st seG SaT as f was
s sRSnss Han as would s 81 down and Sing little
He would ring In The names Of pr9minsnt men
and f @as
never ie saw saw edlaiied. Sullivan took . great
fancy to him. and i9E time We had him IN the s
bring his chair w. almost in front OF Flurry's,
and sit with his elbSws on his knees and his
f Thsn Il Pasrs @eus WITH bis and
NJ oMn m .sa could have have done
course, great deal Of interest in Sullivan. and
particularly so in the South: ! remember
wee %s Ya vent se out ssts
and. when we got to a road house. we alighted
fno ho 'h shsds sns ms sere
negro came along, with q, horse. got the
him H men rode sa19sn wanea
s Tene ssopns Ell the on street his hat on
a az n sSnSo ASIDE ana said: ' 'A' ''U si
DO Wv knoXW who who that is on your horsep
That is John l. Sullivan
"'Well. for de Lawd's saker
He tiptoed out into the middle Of the road
starea at him a. Il he had Been
he took the horse BY the Birdie. and said as he
boas nsns dat shS aPR as ss SS s%
and set Up in my cabin on account Of you rid
I'm is astonishiae how the news of sullivans
Il qs f sSnSa the Il bsm yead
miles, i with COWS hitshed to wagons, two. or
a ahsee ON ON fo oae catch se he cEnm
pion. The wonder is 70 me how they found eut
even the name OF SULLIVAN bars ior thes yed IN
or anything OF that sort When the train
stopped the elder Of the negroes, with white
would come stealing through the cars in
q procession. looking from one passenger to
b bsy 0 as.ys pele curious out ht a. o sas
though he used to lean back IN his seat and
Put hs hat eyer bis cs 1ss 1os TIE sk o.
ration. Sometimes when he happened to have have
1su s TSsn wv give
wa Snd ssovI and pretend os.s t. jung
out to the platform % ten me others about Il:
piatform and show himself % the crowd, and
sIsS Sd rs Eey sSss.ga and
It was pure good nature on his part, because
he IL not q man who cares to show OIL at all.
We always had hard work to Set him to make
he ought to be seen from business motives.
There is one other point about Sullivan
Tor, and that Is for his shrewdness. Everybody
fighter. but you often hear men say that the
trouble with Sullivan Is that he does not know
anything or that, II he had a little more tact,
he would get along better, and that is lust
where they are about ms lar on as any lot OF
men that ever lived. Sullivan knows more In
five minutes than nalf Of his detractors do In
1--WE hours, and no has got tact, too, He is not
butcher or grooer's clerk IA, and he does not
not amount to anything. He is of enough i'm
portanee now to choose his own acqualptances,
II he likes man he sticks to him; II he does
not like him h. wont pay the slightest atten.
He knows perfectly well what he Is about at all
times, and will tell you little thing that
we were in Memphis, and one OF the town
pets was going to stand up In front OF Sullivan.
He was big and powerful fellow with q fair
knowledge Of boxing and lots OF grit he had
were at tho show that night. Memphis was